By Ole Kröning, Matthias Lukashewitsch, Isabel Pfannkuche and Stefan Peter
Will Brandenburg help the capital deal with the explosive problem? Our neighboring federal state offers its support for a replacement for the Grunewald explosive site.
“We have good cooperation with Saxony and are of course also open to Berlin wanting to participate in our explosive ordnance disposal procedures in the future,” said Brandenburg Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (62, CDU). “Berlin would have to clarify what their specific needs are and then put the topic on the agenda.”
Brandenburg’s central blasting site is 50 kilometers south of Berlin, in a forest in the municipality of Am Mellensee. In the district of Kummersdorf-Gut (346 inhabitants) there used to be a firing range for the Prussian army, then a facility for the Wehrmacht, and now a facility for the explosive ordnance disposal service.
The ammunition dismantling plant of the Brandenburg police is located in Kummersdorf-Gut Photo: picture-alliance/ ZB
In Berlin state politics, there is still disagreement about the future of the Grunewald blast site:
► “Before hasty discussions about the location, firefighting and a precise analysis of the causes must be in place,” says Björn Jotzo (47, FDP). “There are good reasons against, but also for a blast site in Berlin. We have two to three ammunition finds a day. Short distances make sense for World War II ammunition, and Brandenburg currently does not have the required storage capacity.”
According to Jotzo, Berlin should only make the decision to give up the blasting site when the cause and effects of alternative locations are known.
► At the Union, however, the explosive site in Grunewald has been considered worthy of discussion for years. “Parallel to the motorway and railway line, with many walkers in the forest – the location is simply not suitable,” said CDU MP Frank Balzer (57) to the BZ
► He emphasizes: “The contact between the Governing Mayor and Mr. Woidke is so good that Brandenburg Berlin will certainly help.”
Steglitz-Zehlendorf
► Niklas Schrader (40, left): “It won’t be easy to find a new, safe place for the explosive site. But I think we should have this discussion together with the state of Brandenburg.”
► Vasili Franco (30, Greens) considers the debate about a new explosive site to be premature. But: “Regardless of whether it’s an accident or intentional, our forest is in danger simply because of the constant heat records. We must be well prepared for large-scale situations in the future, and civil protection must be better equipped for this.”
Franco demands: “In the future, our own fire-fighting helicopter could be a valuable ace up our sleeve in the event of forest fires.”
Closures due to flames in Grunewald at least until Saturday
The road and rail closures due to the fire in Berlin’s Grunewald are expected to remain in force at least until Saturday. A change is currently not expected, the police said on Friday evening.
The fire brigade had already imposed a safety radius of 1000 meters around the site on Thursday. This also applies to the A115 motorway and the S7 S-Bahn line that runs parallel to it.